Haley Reinhart, ‘Free’ – Song Review

Haley Reinhart wants to be 'Free' on her new tune, a breath of fresh air that adds mild jazz influences to a retro-sounding pop song.

A bouncy piano intro builds up to a sweeping refrain in which the Season 10 'American Idol' finalist sings about a relationship in which both partners can't live with or without one another:

"We don't let go, we can't get close / I still need you, when you still need me / This tug of war can't go on anymore / Nobody wins from this misery, free / Well can't you see, I wanna be, I want you to be free."

The track is built around the elegant vocals of Reinhart, who sounds more mature than her 21 years. She recently told The Hollywood Reporter that she feels like she should have been born in an earlier decade, adding, "There has to be a reason for me to be here now -- to bring it back, slip through the cracks and get people to listen." Let's hope so, because 'Free' is a song that's worthy of people's attention.

Reinhart will perform the track live when she returns to 'Idol' on March 27. Her debut album 'Listen Up!' arrives on May 22 and is available now for pre-order on her website.